


Copper Eyes

by 22Bean22



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Angst, Bonding, Connie - Freeform, Copper Eyes, CriedForDays, Friendship, Home, Hurt, Jean - Freeform, Manga, Memories, Sad, Sasha - Freeform, Spoilers, first fic, meat - Freeform, springles - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2019-06-09 11:35:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,149
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15266631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/22Bean22/pseuds/22Bean22
Summary: It was as if time had stopped, been taken back, and reversed the roles. This time it was Sasha who's copper eyes widened in fear, and it was the girl who had the rifle aimed to kill.This time, the girl fired.





	Copper Eyes

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first Fanfic on Archive Of Our Own, so I'm pretty nervous... Anyway, this contains HUUUUGE spoilers for the Attack On Titan Manga, chapter 105 to be specific, so read at your own risk! So, hope you enjoy!

Shouts of triumph echoed around the crowded blimp. Soldiers were crying, laughing, cheering, rejoicing in their victory. The buildings were rejected, streets and paths weaving in and out of sight, hiding the bodies that inevitably littered the ground like trampled flowers in a meadow. It was frightening, how the defeated and the victorious could be so close together, with nothing but air and the solid walls of the blimp as a barrier.

Sasha Braus was one of the few soldiers who seemed to notice the unnerving silence of the settlement below. She was crouched against the wall, a weapon still grasped firmly in her hand, copper eyes surveying the world beneath her. 

“First victory, huh?” Jean spoke from her side, his tone grim, as it always was these days. “Exactly how long do we have to keep doing this until it ends? How many more are we going to have to kill?” 

Jean was another who didn’t seem to gain joy from the defeat of his enemies. Although he didn’t hesitate to pull the trigger as he used to, the unmistakably relatable look in his eyes everytime he glanced down at the past-battlefield below was something Sasha felt as well. For she, too, had that merciful side which never failed to plague the wars of humanity. 

There had been a girl. Back when Sasha had first shown her face in the battle, there had been a girl. She couldn’t have been more than twelve, judging by her size and the pitch of her voice as she cried out in response to the men dropping at every angle, courtesy of the accurate bullets being shot from Sasha’s very own hands. The brunette Survey Corp soldier hadn’t hesitated. But why did she pause when her eyes met those of the young girl, the fear and shock in the copper orbs that portrayed emotions Sasha had felt too many times herself?

By that time, it had been too late, and the girl had been spared.

“First of all, we’re alive.” A strong, uniform-clad arm wrapped itself around Sasha’s neck in a firm headlock, the same person delivering a friendly ruffle to Jean’s hair. 

“Sorry to the guys who’ve died…” Connie’s voice held a grim tone much like Jean’s had earlier, but was raw with an emotion Sasha couldn’t quite place. “...But you guys… You guys are special.” 

Sasha smiled, tearing her eyes away from the view for the first time. She shouldn’t spend time looking at the past, at the terrors they had to leave behind. No… She should keep facing forward. Because, as Connie said, people had died, but they couldn’t do anything about that now. All that mattered was carrying on, for a better future. 

“It’s hurts, you idiot!” 

“Don’t get hugged when you’re wearing metal then, you bastard!” 

Sasha zoned out to the sound of her friends’ bickering, and instead concentrated on the unsettling feeling that was making its home in her stomach. It wasn’t fear, grief, guilt… No… It was far worse. Hunger. 

“How long ‘till we get supper?” She asked, interrupting the friendly squabble. 

“Just wait until we get back to the island,” Connie replied, rolling his eyes at her question, although his amusement showed by the glint in his pupils. 

“This commanding officer really is useless.” 

The trio glanced over at the huddle of soldiers, who were now beginning to quell their celebrations. They headed over, moment ended, ready to continue taking orders in preparation for their departure. 

But, something just had to go wrong. A sound, echoing around the back of Sasha’s mind. It came from behind her, at the entrance she had been crouched at just before. Usually she would’ve brushed it off, pushing down the feeling of anticipation as an effect of their victory. But… Something felt wrong. 

Sasha timidly raised her hand, just as the scuffle from behind reached its maximum, and the soldiers began to turn around. 

It was the girl. 

The fearful glint in her eyes gone, replaced with a fiery hunger for revenge, hair unkept from her journey up to the blimp. A cold wave enveloped Sasha’s body, shooting through her veins and leaving a tingly sensation in her fingertips. She had never felt anything like this before. 

It was as if time had stopped, been taken back, and reversed the roles. This time it was Sasha who’s copper eyes widened in fear, and it was the girl who had the rifle aimed to kill. 

This time, the girl fired. 

And this time… She hit her target. 

The numbness that had recently protected Sasha was now gone, smashed away with the lethal bullet’s course into her body. Pain erupted from that point, ruining the icy cage of dread that had been built around her heart from the moment the girl rolled on board. 

All of that happened in seconds, as the sheer force of the shot sent her falling back toward the ground. The contact of her head mercilessly banging against solid floor was nothing compared with the agony in her side, ruthlessly shooting up to her chest, and eventually reaching her brain. This was where it got scary, the pain was too much. Blocking out every sense, she couldn’t see, she couldn’t think, she couldn’t hear. All she was aware of was the metallic taste of blood rising in her mouth, threatening to make it’s terrifying exit, and the feeling of the cold floor seeping through her uniform in contrast to the warm substance pooling from her wound. 

“Oi! Sasha! Wake up!” A voice. It was faded. It was asking her to wake up. Were her eyes closed…? She thought they were open, but all she could see was white. The blimp wasn’t white, was it? But it was usually dark when she closed her eyes, so it couldn’t be that either. Maybe someone was holding rice in front of her face… That would be nice. 

“Hey!” The voice made her want to flinch. It was so loud. So full of pain. It hurt her, possibly more than the bullet did. Speaking of which… It wasn’t as agonizing as before. In fact… She could barely feel it. She just wanted peace, and she wouldn’t get that with the voice shouting at her. 

“So… Noisy…” Why was it so difficult to speak? There was something wet in her mouth, pooling around her lips, her throat. It didn’t taste nice. She wanted food. 

“Is supper… Still not ready…?” Why was this person holding rice in front of her face? She wanted more than rice. 

“Stop the bleeding!”

“Sasha, hold on ‘till we get back home!” 

Home… What was home? Supper was home… She thought… At least, that was what Connie said. 

“Meat…” She wanted some meat. Maybe… If she just closed her eyes… And went to sleep… She would get home sooner. 

She wanted food. She wanted to go home.


End file.
